Iconic Bollywood duo Salim- Sulaiman to take part in first ever North American tour this November 2014

Iconic Bollywood musical duo Salim-Sulaiman will embark on their first ever North American tour this November 2014 with stops in Vancouver, San Jose, Calgary, Toronto, Atlanta and Houston.

Accompanied by their band, Salim-Sulaiman will also welcome to tour singers Vipul Metha, winner of Indian Idol 6, and Shweta Pandit, who regularly performs with AR Rahman.

Salim-Sulaiman have been composing music for over a decade having scored for movies including Rab Ne Banadi Jodi, FASHION,  Roadside  Romeo,  Iqbal,  Dor,  Heroine,  Chak  De India, and many more.

The versatile duo has scored for a string of Bollywood movies, composed for several Indi-pop sensations including Viva, Asmaan,  Shweta  Shetty,  Jasmine  and  Style  Bhai  among others, composed and produced hundreds of TV commercials.

Recognized for their talents throughout the industry, Salim- Sulaiman have received numerous awards including the 2004

Screen  Award  for  Best  Background  Music  for  Bahoot;  the

2005 Screen Weekly Award for Best Background Music for Dhoom; the 2005 Technical Award for Best Background Score for Ab Tak Chhappan; the 2007 Zee Cine Technical Award for Best Background Score for Krrish; and the 2014 Mirchi Music Award for Best Indi-Pop Song of the Year.

Incorporating cinematic, folk, Electronica and Sufi influences to  their  music,  Salim  and  Sulaiman  Merchant  are  among India's most respected composers. Recently they composed the musical Merchants of Bollywood, as well as their much awaited Hollywood film Sold which is rapidly gaining attention at numerous film festivals.

The duo has enthralled audiences across the world with their live concerts, particularly during their performance at the FIFA World Cup 2010 opening ceremony. In addition, Salim- Sulaiman have been part of numerous television shows including their role as celebrity judges on Indian Idol.

Tabla Superstar Zakir Hussain performs

Joined by Kumaresh Rajagopalan (Violin), Jayanthi Kumaresh (Veena)

Wednesday, October 1, 2014, at 8 p.m.

Tickets: $49–54

Visit www.markhamtheatre.ca or call 905-305-SHOW (7469)

 One of the world’s most renowned tabla artists will enchant Flato Markham Theatre audiences with the riches of India’s classical music tradition. Zakir Hussain, a lauded master of the Indian percussion instrument, will be joined in concert by Kumaresh Rajagopalan (violin) and Jayanthi Kumaresh (veena) on October 1 at 8 p.m.

Zakir Hussain’s prodigious talent was unmistakable from an early age as he embarked on his first professional tour when he was just 12 years old. A revered musician and virtuoso of the table, a classical East Indian percussive instrument, Hussain stuns audiences with his natural musicianship. He has gone on to win a GRAMMY® Award in the Best World Music category, and has collaborated with some of music’s greatest and most influential artists including George Harrison, Yo-Yo Ma and Van Morrison.

His latest DVD release The SFJazz Sessions was recorded over four extraordinary days in March 2013, and showcases Hussain's formidable talents and the genre-bending collaborations that have characterized his career. The DVD includes insightful interviews, personal commentary and intimate glimpses of life, offstage and backstage, of the remarkable artists who came together during the recording sessions.

Here's an exclusive interview given by Ustad Zakir Hussain to Usha Pudukkotai:

     Please tell us about your early career and your guru(s).

     I was born in a tabla family, my father (Ustad Allarakha) was and is considered one of the greatest tabla player of all time. From a very young age (3 yrs) I was being trained in the art of tabla playing under his watchful eyes, at 7 I did my first full performance and at 12 I started my professional career but still received guidance from my father till he passed away in 2000.

     How many gharanas(styles) of tabla are there & which one is your forte?

     Originally there are 5 gharanas of tabla, they were created because masters of tabla would move from one state to the next and establish their own teachings and that in time would become a gharana, it helped that there were no influences from other masters leaving in other far off cities, these days due to communication media and easy travel plus CDs, YouTube etc has made the teachings of all gharanas available to tabla players everywhere, and so I consider myself initially a student of Punjab gharana but now a performer of a combination repertoire of all gharanas.

     Do you believe music is divine? Do you find/feel any spiritual connect while playing the tabla?

     Music is connected to divinity in India, and according to mythology Gods and Goddesses are the source of this art form. I have experienced a special connection with my music and my instrument during my practice sessions but it is very rare to repeat this connection in a big concert hall with many people, the concentration there is to enjoy the music in a joyous and fun way.

     What do you think the major attraction for 'rock' drummers for learning tabla & Indian music?

     I think the rock or jazz or any kind of western drummers enjoy the challenge of playing and improvising in odd rhythm cycles plus the fact that the rhythms can be spoken and reproduced the exactly the same way in Indian systems is a great attraction for them.

     Can you please tell us your personal opinion about how this art form has evolved over the years?

Indian classical music is now more accessible, Indian musicians have found a way to connect to their audiences and include them in the music being performed, more attention is being paid on presentation and stage craft, Indian musicians are now educated and more informed about the advent in sound systems and many digital devices that help them to enhance the projection ability of their instruments.

This concert is presented by National Bank and in association with the Small World Music Festival. An intimate evening of conversation with Mr. Hussain is also a feature presentation of the Small World Music Festival. The event takes place at the Small World Music Centre, 180 Shaw St. 8:00pm. Tickets: $100 and includes admission to Wednesday’s concert at the Flato Markham Theatre.

Later in the season, the Flato Markham Theatre will proudly welcome Sarod master Amjad Ali Kahn, another leading Indian musician. Amjad Ali Kahn will perform with his two sons, Amaan Ali Kahn and Ayaan Ali Kahn, on February 8, 2015. Amjad Ali Kahn impressed audiences with his last performance at the Theatre in 2013, and is a regular performer at prestigious concert halls across the world including Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall and the Kennedy Center.

Media partners for both of these performances are Asian Television Network, Update Weekly, and MyBindi.com.

Exclusive Interview -Stand-up Comedian Ali Hasan

Do What You Love, and the Money Will Come….

                                                                        Ali Hasan

Ali Hassan is a Stand-Up Comedian, Actor and Radio & Television celebrity. He is the host of Laugh Out Loud on CBC Radio & SIRIUSXM.  He was also the Lead Comedy Panelist on CBC Television’s George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, recording over 165 episodes since 2012.   He is a Canadian Comedy Award Nominee (2013) who has performed at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, JFL42 in Toronto and the Winnipeg Comedy Festival.   Ali was also featured in the films French Immersion, Breakaway and GOON. You can look him up at his website www.StandUpAli.com.

Here’s an exclusive interview as given to Usha Pudukkotai:

What was it about comedy that made you think, this is where I belong?

You know that feeling you get when you make one person laugh….that was great, and it’s enough for most people.  But it wasn’t enough for me.  I really felt at my best when I was making groups of people laugh, and stand-up comedy fed that.

At the start of your career, you could probably speak as an outsider to celebrity culture, but now you're inside of it. Does that shift change your material?

Sure. My comedy is pretty honest, so sometimes I let people “behind the wall” and let them know what a daily struggle can be, even for someone now experiencing celebrity.  For example, the other day I had to drive myself to the bank!  God knows where my chauffeur disappeared to.  I’m kidding – I have the same struggles as everyone does, but sometimes, for the sake of your reputation, you have to maintain a certain image.  I’m learning how to strike a balance between the inside and outside. 

You’ve worked in movies as well – do you enjoy working on-stage or in front of the camera?

They are both completely different muscles. On stage I get an instant reaction (although there are definitely people who get home and then say “Oh, I get it now!”).  In front of the camera involves a lot of “hurry up and wait” which can be boring at best, frustrating at worst.  As someone who gets instant gratification on stage, I’ve had to adjust to the waiting around of the television and film world.

A lot of people our age who want to get into comedy don’t know how to do it financially or otherwise. Your career path is impressive. How did you make this possible? 

I embraced poverty.  Ha!  If you’re worried about your mortgage and your car payments and things like that, this probably isn’t the life you should get into.  I worked hard and was patient.  I also had a lot of support from family and friends.   

In your opinion who are the funniest international comedians right now? And who are your favourite local comics?

Internationally, I see 2 of my favorites, Bill Burr and Jim Gaffigan enjoying a great time in their careers. They are at the top of their games. Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart, Gabriel Iglesias also come to mind.   And there are so many newer (10 years or less) comics who are getting development deals and shows of their own because of their talent.  I can’t speak as knowledgeably about comedians outside of North America, but every year at Just for Laughs I get to see powerful performers from the UK, Ireland and Australia.

Locally, there are so many strong comedians in Toronto. Three friends come to mind immediately - Dave Merheje, Alex Pavone and K Trevor Wilson are all incredible and would be able to perform anywhere in the world. 

Do you enjoy smaller clubs or do your prefer big gatherings?

An intimate comedy club is a great experience for me and the type of comedy I do, engaging with people in the audience.  But a 1000+ seater brings its own type of joy.  It’s not easy (or necessarily advisable) to interact with people, but when groups that big laugh in unison, it’s a very powerful feeling. 

Can you please tell us about your upcoming projects?

I just got hired to be the head writer on a new comedy project in Toronto. I’m sworn to secrecy (by which I mean contractually obliged to keep my mouth shut) but it’s a great project that is going to get quite a lot of attention in the New Year!

I also just co-wrote a pilot for a show with my friend Dave Merheje.  It’s gotten a lot of positive attention, including an offer to commission the pilot by a Toronto production company. 

I’m also doing some recurring roles on a PBS Kids show called Odd Squad.  And I’m doing a lot of stand-up comedy.  If all goes well, I should be doing a comedy tour in Vancouver in November or January. 

You're also a celebrity chef. How do you manage to juggle two careers?

The whole idea is to not juggle them at all, eventually – once I have a food television show, I’ll be able to perfectly meld both of those careers together!

What's your favourite meal to cook?

Well, that answer changes every week…but because it’s getting cold at night, I’m really happy making spicy Thai or Malay curries right now.

Outside of your career, what is your passion?

I have performing, cooking, my family and my friends.  There’s a 4^th child on the way in February (yikes!), so I literally don’t have time for any other passions! 

Any other message for our readers?

All the clichés have become clichés for a reason…but the one I’ve always held dearest is to do what you love, and the money will come. Also, men – enjoy your hair while you have it.

Women of India Leadership Summit

The Women of India Leadership Summit will be held at India Islamic Centre from the 18th to 20th September 2014.

The summit aims to help the urban women in the National Capital Region to empower themselves, and includes an illustrious panel of speakers such as Naina Lal Kidwai, Country Head, HSBC India; Designer Poonam Bhagat; Emmy Award winner, Dr Kaizaad Kotwal; Karmaveer Puraskar Awardee Mahabanoo Mody Kotwaal, Vishnu Som NDTV , Feroze Gujral and Anand Narasihman Times Now among a list of powerful speakers.

We also are bringing the plays The Vagina Monologues and Emotional Creature by Eve Ensler and To Be Love and Power Within by Dilip Shankar as a special treat. Emotional Creature has never been show cased in the NCR so this will be its premier show on the 20th of September .

Divya Chandra is an actor/writer/director and the Director of BooGio11 Productions and the founder of The Women of India Leadership Summit. Her explorations have led her to the stage, voice work, theatre movement and image work. As an actor, Divya has been committed to working on projects that break certified notions of glam and affectation prefixed with the profession, framing new foundations of transformative-mission oriented art.

Now into its second year, Women of India Leadership Summit is her initiative and BooGio 11 Productions is the founding force behind this landmark event. The summit was incubated as a reaction to the nationwide protests against the lack of safety and power that Indian women endure on a daily basis, that allowed the brutal gang rape and subsequent death of a young medical student in the capital in December of 2012.
The mission of the summit is to change the power dynamic that Indian women suffer by educating them about their rights, providing them with information and tools to better cement their financial position and create more safety and security.

Margarita with a Straw: Maturity with Sensitivity

The talented actress, Kalki Koechlin is going places. She comes to Toronto, with an equally talented director, Shonali Bose. Together, they present a bold, beautiful and brilliant film at the TIFF. Margarita with a Straw.

Kalki as Laila is a bright young teenager,  who suffers from cerebral palsy. She is feisty and fiery. Despite  her disability, Laila is a go-getter, a high achiever and aspires to be a writer. She has to deal with the fact that either she is often ignored by people around her or  they make unwitting remarks about her disability. She seeks comfort in her best friend, a guy in school and her mother (Revathi).   Winning a scholarship to study in New York, Laila is super excited to embark on a new journey, a new beginning.

 In a New York street demonstration, she meets  a young Pakistani activist, Khanum (debutant Sayani Gupta), ), who challenges her beliefs, sparks her creativity, and, eventually, takes her to bed. For these two women, it's the beginning of a remarkable love story. She embarks on a journey of sexual discovery which hinders the relationships between her family and friends  discovering her own true identity.

 Margarita, with a Straw is a consistently rewarding portrait of a young woman coming of age, making mistakes, and finding the unpredictable path of her own desire. Shonali Bose has touched upon two taboo topics - disability and sexuality with maturity and Kalki has enacted her part with sensitivity.

Kalki Koechlin has  delivered a superb performance. She says that it was  a lot of work, six months of preparation. She loved the script because it focuses on who the person is, beyond her disability. Shonali is like an open book and that really helped her play the part, she says. As for her speech, she worked with a therapist, to reunderstand, to use her tongue in a different way, because it requires a lot of movement. When asked whether the film will create an awareness or ruffle a few feathers, she said it'll do both. Hopefully, there will be more of an awareness.

Shonali Bose  made her feature debut as writer-director with Amu(2005) and co-wrote the feature Chittagong (2012). Margarita, with a Straw (2014) is her latest film.  Talking about the film, she says that she grew up with a relative  who has cerebral palsy. I asked her what she wanted for her 40th birthday, and she replied that she just wanted to have sex. That remark stayed with her and therefore the film is drawn extensively from her personal experiences. She says that she likes to do films on topics which no one has ever dealt with before. She was excited about the standing ovation that they received at the TIFF premiere and is looking forward it its release in India in February, after a couple of other Film Festivals in different parts of the world.

When asked what advice she has for newcomers she  says 'Go for it baby', don't hold yourself back'.

Margarita, with a Straw is a contemporary story that will definitely strike a chord with global audiences. The supporting cast have also given brilliant performances, and the film will surely leave people with a different viewpoint on disability and sexuality.

Three cheers to the beauties with brains!

AN INTERVIEW WITH EMRAAN HASHMI

Oscar-winning director Danis Tanovic's much-awaited film with Emraan Hashmi in the lead titled, Tigers, has been selected for its World Premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival. Based on a true story, this hard-hitting thriller drama, produced by Prashita Chaudhary of Cinemorphic and Guneet Monga of Sikhya Entertainment, features Hashmi in his first international project and will premiere at9:45 pm on September 8th, Scotiabank Theatre, Toronto.

STORY

Devastated when he discovers the effects of the infant formula he's peddling, a young salesman challenges the system and the powers that be. Ayan (Emraan Hashmi) is a young and a newly-married salesman who gets a job peddling locally-made drugs to pharmacies and doctors. Despite the fact that the Pakistani-manufactured pharmaceuticals he sells are cheaper than those sold by Western competitors, no one will trust or buy products that lack major brand names. His wife encourages him to apply for a job with Lasta, a large multinational, and Ayan is hired on a trial basis. It's not long before his natural charm and knack for glad-handing turn him into a minor star, and Lasta expands his responsibilities. However, one day he is devastated to see first-hand what the selling of baby formula really means in certain cases. Shocked, Ayan sets out to challenge the system and the powers that be.

In a neat piece of narrative structuring on Tanovic's part, this David-and-Goliath story is told partially through the eyes of a film crew making a documentary on Ayan's astonishing findings. But the power of Tigers lies in his willingness to push his film out onto the streets of Pakistan and into the face of a system where narrow interests prevail, and an honest man doing the right thing is castigated and threatened, and finally sees his life endangered.

Excerpts from an interview with Actor Emraan Hashmi:

Q1. How was playing in TIGERS different than your other acting projects?

It was completely different. It was unlike anything I had done before. Back in India, I have done over 30 films playing the protagonist in escapist mainstream fare, which I am very proud of. That has given me my identity and helped run my kitchen. But Bollywood cinema doesn't require you to delve deep into your character and be in the moment all the time. Of course,  with exceptions. Like I did a film with Dibakar Banerjee called Shanghai, which needed me to be completely immersed in another character. TIGERS was exactly that and a lot more. To not just be an actor but to own the film. To understand the issue that the film is trying to talk about and then slip into the character I am playing. It really challenged the actor in me and I am happy that I went through it because by the time it ended, it felt very liberating.

Q2. What attracted you to the project?

Danis Tanovic, first and foremost. His body of work speaks for itself and I don't really need to tell you about the fantastic films he has made. So with him helming the project, I knew I would be in safe hands even though TIGERS was going to be virgin territory for me. Also, I knew that this film will make me reach out to an altogether new audience. The character spoke to me. It felt that only I could play this. When you watch the film, you will know.

Q3. Tell us about the character you play and the conflicts of his story.

I play Ayan, who is a struggling young salesman in the far north east of Pakistan, when we first meet him. To the delight of his family and his pretty new wife he secures a job with a prestigious multinational corporation, marketing infant formula milk. He uses all his skills - and he is skillful - to convince doctors and other healthcare professionals that his products are the best in the market. Soon, he’s the star salesman and life is good. But then when Ayan learns from a doctor that babies are dying after having the milk he is selling, he is devastated and goes through an inner turmoil. It's then he decides to do something about it.

Q4. Were you familiar with the real-life incidents that the screenplay is based on? How did that make you feel when you heard about that? Do you have children of your own?

Yes, I have a four-and-a-half-year-old son. When I was first told that the events depicted in the screenplay are based on real-life incidents, I was very shaken. To be honest, I was not aware of this. I wanted to know more. Danis and his research team and writing team helped me with all the information out there. I felt very strongly about it. Children are precious, very precious. And their initial years are completely in the hands of us parents and the choices we make. Now, if such lethal products are out there, parents can be really helpless.

Q5. What do you think should be done as this problem continues? Do you think TIGERS will raise awareness about the problem and hopefully offer some solution?

I do hope TIGERS will raise awareness about the problem for starters. The film shows incidents as they happened, characters as they were. Danis has this masterly touch of making cinema, which seems absolutely real. And here he is showing a real incident, a real issue. People need to know that this problem still persists and there should be enough noise for the big companies to feel threatened. I don't think there is an instant solution but TIGERS can be the start.

M.Manikandan's Crow's Egg : Courageous Entertainer

In a tiny concrete-and-tin Chennai home live two young brothers with their mother and grandmother. The boys constantly beg their mother and grandmother for toys they can't afford, and even for a television. They don't yet understand that the two women can't give them everything they want.

When their mother does find a way to bring an old television home, it's the opening of a portal. The boys see a pizza commercial whose steaming, slow-motion images make the unfamiliar food look like manna from heaven. And from that point on, they dream of nothing but getting their first taste of pizza.

In his feature debut, M. Manikandan uses this simple tale to paint a vivid portrait of urban child poverty in South India. But it is one of hope and initiative rather than despair. These brothers see all the obstacles between them and their first slice as puzzles to be worked out, and they're more than up to the task.

In an exclusive interview with Usha Pudukkotai, Manikandan talks about the film and his experiences.  He's ecstatic about the fact that this is the first time a film by a debut Tamil director has been officially selected for a World Premiere in Toronto. It's a great feeling, since he was looking for producers for this film for over two years.  National award winning actor and producer of successful films, Dhanush Kastooriraja and Vetri Maaran co-produced this film, which carries a strong social message, in a not too heavily emotional manner. It has a touch of humour, and couple of beautiful songs. The music, by G.V Prakash Kumar is good and Manikandan says that while working on the project they shared a great rapport. Even though it was a low-budget film, he was very co-operative and gave several versions relentlessly.

On asked about his expectations, in terms of awards and recognition, Manikandan says he's just happy making the film, which gave him immense satisfaction. He has always had a soft corner for the street children, and wanted to do something for them. He also wished that they two boys who acted in the movie could accompany him to the Festival. They were unable to make it because passports could not be issued to them. However, they are friends with his son back home, in Chennai.

The film which premiered in Toronto at TIFF was warmly received by  non-diaspora audiences.  It is definitely a great start and we hope that this is a great beginning for Manikandan.